Timberwolves vs Spurs: Victor Wembanyama delivered a dominant response after his controversial ejection in Game 4, powering the San Antonio Spurs to a convincing 126-97 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night and giving San Antonio a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinal series. Wembanyama finished with 27 points and 15 rebounds, setting the tone early with an explosive first quarter in which he scored 18 points. The Spurs now head to Minneapolis for Game 6 on Friday, with a potential Game 7 scheduled for Sunday in San Antonio.
The young star returned after being thrown out of Sunday’s Game 4 defeat following a flagrant-2 foul on Naz Reid. Rather than dwell on the incident, Wembanyama responded with one of his most complete playoff performances.
San Antonio came out firing, racing to a 24-9 lead midway through the opening quarter as Wembanyama scored 16 of the team’s first 24 points. Although Minnesota trimmed the deficit to four points by the end of the first quarter, the Spurs quickly regained control in the second.
A 9-0 run early in the period pushed San Antonio ahead 43-30, and the lead eventually stretched to 18 after a spectacular alley-oop dunk from Wembanyama. However, the Spurs missed their final eight shots before halftime, allowing the Timberwolves to close within 59-47.
Minnesota continued its comeback in the third quarter and briefly tied the game at 61-61 following a strong 14-2 run capped by an Ayo Dosunmu layup. But San Antonio immediately responded with a devastating surge, outscoring the Timberwolves 30-12 for the remainder of the quarter to seize a commanding 91-73 advantage entering the final period.
Keldon Johnson added 21 points off the bench for the Spurs, while De’Aaron Fox scored 18 and Stephon Castle chipped in 17. Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 20 points in the loss.
The young star returned after being thrown out of Sunday’s Game 4 defeat following a flagrant-2 foul on Naz Reid. Rather than dwell on the incident, Wembanyama responded with one of his most complete playoff performances.
San Antonio came out firing, racing to a 24-9 lead midway through the opening quarter as Wembanyama scored 16 of the team’s first 24 points. Although Minnesota trimmed the deficit to four points by the end of the first quarter, the Spurs quickly regained control in the second.
A 9-0 run early in the period pushed San Antonio ahead 43-30, and the lead eventually stretched to 18 after a spectacular alley-oop dunk from Wembanyama. However, the Spurs missed their final eight shots before halftime, allowing the Timberwolves to close within 59-47.
Minnesota continued its comeback in the third quarter and briefly tied the game at 61-61 following a strong 14-2 run capped by an Ayo Dosunmu layup. But San Antonio immediately responded with a devastating surge, outscoring the Timberwolves 30-12 for the remainder of the quarter to seize a commanding 91-73 advantage entering the final period.
Keldon Johnson added 21 points off the bench for the Spurs, while De’Aaron Fox scored 18 and Stephon Castle chipped in 17. Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 20 points in the loss.
